The invention is directed to video telephony in which communication between two subscribers directly or between a plurality of subscribers using a multipoint control unit (MCU), as it is called, is made possible through the use of video telephone equipment or a video telephone and a voice telephone. In particular, the invention is directed to a video telephone method with user interaction.
A conventional standard for ISDN video telephony via two ISDN B-channels is given by H.320 which comprises the. standard components H.261 for video compression, G.711/G.722/G.728 for speech compression, H.221 for multiplexing, H.242 for signaling and T.100 for shared application, and a system description for video telephony.
Commercially available video telephone equipment enables video communications, and an acceptable image quality is achieved with the use of two ISDN B-channels. This results in higher charges compared to a voice telephone call or a video telephone call with lower quality via only one B-channel with a transmission rate of 64 Kbits/s. These increased charges must be absorbed solely by the video telephone user.
It is possible by means of conventional video telephone products, e.g., Telekom T-View 100, to call up information from a data server. Such information can be lotto numbers, weather forecasts or the like.
As concerns advertising within established media, direct interaction is not possible at the present time. Therefore, auxiliary means such as telephone campaigns, contests, membership drives, and so forth, are used instead. However, dissemination of interactive media is progressing; witness, PC xe2x80x9cVideo on Demandxe2x80x9d with small-bandwidth backward channel. With interactivity of this kind, the media user is faced with the combination of primary useful information and secondary advertisement information.
Therefore, there exists on the part of advertisers and other information services an interest in inserting advertising or other information in a video telephone call to increase the revenues of the telephone network operator and/or to lower cost for telephone users. Moreover, providers of terminals, especially video telephones, can increase demand for this equipment by exploiting the encouraged telephony.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide a method and a device for video telephony which makes it possible to fade in or insert such services during a video telephone call, wherein the interactivity should be an essential component.
According to the invention the method of video telephony for video and voice communication comprises the steps of:
a) controlling transmission of regular video information and voice information between terminals for video telephony of a caller and a called subscriber during a video telephone call by means of a server of a selected service provider;
b) starting a timer and then issuing a request from the server to the caller or the called subscriber to perform an interactive action;
c) testing whether or not the interactive action is performed by the caller or the called subscriber within a predetermined time period as measured by the timer; and
d) if and only if the interactive action is performed within the predetermined time period, transmitting additional video information to the terminal of the caller or the called subscriber from the server of the selected service provider and displaying the additional video information on the terminal of the caller or the called subscriber.
In preferred embodiments of this method a fee of the caller or the called subscriber is reduced, if the interactive action is performed during the predetermined time period so that the additional video information is received and displayed on the terminal of the caller or the called subscriber. Furthermore the fee of the caller or the called subscriber may be increased and a visual notification of the raising of the fee may be transmitted to the terminal of the caller or the called subscriber, if the interactive action is not performed during the predetermined time period so that the additional video information is not received and not displayed on the terminal of the caller or the called subscriber.
According to the invention the video telephony system for video and voice communication comprises a H.320 terminal for video telephony of a caller, a H.320 terminal for video telephony of a called subscriber, means for controlling transmission of regular video information and voice information between the H.320 terminals during a video telephone call in at least one H.320 server of a selected service provider, a timer comprising means for measuring or timing a predetermined time period, means for requesting the caller or the called subscriber to carry out an interactive action in the H.320 server; means for interrogating to determine if the interactive action has been performed during the predetermined time period as measured by the timer and means for transmitting additional video Information to the H.320 terminal of the caller or the called subscriber from the H.320 server and displaying it on the H.320 terminal of the caller or the called subscriber, if and only if the interactive action has been performed during the predetermined time period.
By using the method according to the invention, a video communications subscriber has the possibility of communicating at reduced charges or at no charge, for which purpose the subscriber selects a suitable service provider. This service provider connects the subscriber to the desired remote station and simultaneously transmits additional video information in the direction of the caller or in both directions, and the video telephone of the caller or called subscriber shows this information on the display. In this regard, additional video information is defined as video information not identical to the xe2x80x9cregularxe2x80x9d video information, that is, the video information generated by the video telephone. Additional video information can be, for example, advertising information or a provider""s home page. For this purpose, the service provider has a special processing unit that can prepare or edit the video data stream and can insert advertising information into image data in the case of a video telephone call, or can utilize the video channel and display for the advertisement in the case of a simple voice telephone call.
The invention creates a further source of revenue for the service provider and offers the consumer a reduction in telephone rates, i.e., the cost of a telephone call can be partially or completely refunded by the advertisement carrier. Through the invention, the advertisement carrier obtains another channel for disseminating information.
The reduction in cost with the use of a video telephone, even when connected to pure voice telephone remote stations, can offset a higher purchase price without this being accomplished at the expense of the terminal manufacturer or network operator. Accordingly, the method according to the invention promotes further growth of the market for video telephones, which has been limited thus far, and consequently helps the manufacturers of video telephone equipment to increase sales.
The insertion of additional video information on the side of the caller can be carried out in different ways. It is possible for the additional video information to fill up the entire video screen of the caller or, as the case may be, also that of the called subscriber. In this case, the caller will not receive a picture of the called person as long as the additional video information, e.g., advertisement, is inserted. However, it is also possible for the additional video information to occupy only a part of the screen, for example, in the form of an inserted window. Further, the regular video information can take the form of a window arranged at any location on the screen, while the additional video information is the picture primarily displayed by the screen. Further, the window could be designed so as to be scalable within certain limits.
In particular, the owner of an H.320 terminal is advantageously capable of making a connection with a voice telephone subscriber via an H.320 server, wherein H.320 is an ISDN standard for video telephony. During the telephone conversation, the video telephone subscriber receives advertising videos from this server which cover or reduce the cost of the call. For example, interactive raffles, etc. can also be realized in the advertising video, in which the subscriber can possibly receive instant notification of a win.
In order to establish the presence or likely presence of a telephone user during the advertising presentation, the user should be motivated to actively participate through requests inserted into the advertisement. For this purpose, the user is offered a certain benefit, for example, a privilege, for active participation. For example, the user can occasionally be asked via video to actuate certain selection keys on his terminal that are randomly determined by the server in order to avail himself further of the low-cost telephone call; for this purpose, the user would be obliged to watch the entire advertisement presentation so as not to miss the individual requests to activate keys.